It is common to deliberately leave a light illuminating the hallway or bathroom at night, particularly to aid guests or children who may have difficulty navigating in the darkness. Small night lights are often preferred, but leaving a larger light on is also an alternative. In particular, guests in hotel rooms often turn on the bathroom light and leave the door partly open to provide low-level lighting in the dark. The excessive light in the bathroom can be blinding for guests who enter after having been in the dark, and it also increases energy-related costs.
Efforts have been directed toward providing household appliances with multiple functions, including those incorporating a night light. A combination of a bathroom clock and light is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,339 issued to DeLoretto, et al. An appliance combining a can opener and night light is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,308 issued to Moore. An electric circuit having a heater element and a night light, for use with heaters and humidifiers, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,386 issued to Glenn, et al. A hair dryer apparatus adapted for multi-functional usage is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,351,417 and 5,568,691, both issued to Rubin. The multi-functional usages described in the patents to Rubin relate to the incorporation of accessories into the base of the hair dryer, which include shaver sockets, air fresheners, mirrors, radios, and television monitors.
Nonetheless, the need exists for an appliance that serves the dual purposes of providing a hand-held drying apparatus and/or low-level light at night, for illumination of the bathroom area in the dark.